Cellular device identification and location with emergency number selectivity enforcement (CILENSE)

ABSTRACT

A system for restricting operation of wireless devices, for example cell phones, comprises a controller and a plurality of sensors. The system restricts device usage, while permitting emergency phone calls, for example 911 calls. The sensors receive transmissions from devices, and use the transmissions for identification and determining whether a device is within a restricted zone. One disclosed method is triangulation, using time of arrival of transmissions at the sensors. If the device is within the zone, the controller sends device identification, and possibly a customized restriction request, to a remote node, for example a control node of a cell phone network operator. The operator then uses its network resources to implement the requested restrictions. Communication between the controller and the remote node is secure, possibly encrypted, to minimize malicious interference. A wireless control can define vertices of the zone and exempt certain devices from restrictions. Jamming is not required.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. Nos. 61/168,610 and 61/170,626, filed on Apr. 12, 2009and Apr. 19, 2009, respectively, both titled “CELLULAR DEVICEIDENTIFICATION AND LOCATION WITH EMERGENCY NUMBER SELECTIVITYENFORCEMENT”.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to cellular device detection andcontrol by a third party, and more particularly to limiting cellulardevice usage, within a defined control zone, to predetermined allowableactions.

BACKGROUND

“Please silence your cell phones.” But people don't. Either they forget,or they're just plain inconsiderate. So, cell phones ring in theaters,libraries, during church services and even during funerals. Sometimes,the bright light of a cell phone screen can irritate movie-goers, ifsomeone is typing a text message or email in an otherwise dark theater.The requests and signs, displayed in areas intended for adisturbance-free experience, simply do not work much of the time.

In other situations, cell phone usage has more dire consequences. Cellphones in prisons can facilitate criminal activity, enabling violentprisoners to plan escapes or control gang activity outside prison walls.An Oct. 22, 2008 Associated Press release, titled “Prison OfficialsHindered by Pro-Cell-Phone Rules”, documented a murder that wasfacilitated by a cell phone used within a prison. A Nov. 21, 2008 USAToday article, titled “Smuggled phones flourish in prisons—Federal lawbans signal jamming”, describes escapes, drug deals, and harassment ofvictims by prisoners using cell phones.

Prison officials are currently searching for ways to address the problemof cell phone usage within prisons and, according to both articlesreferenced above, some state officials have even considered the use ofcell phone jammers that violate the Federal Communications Act. Besidestheir illegality, such jammers can also interfere with emergency calls,which can create new dangers.

The current situation, that state officials are considering violatingfederal laws and are willing to block even access to emergency servicesin some areas, in order to combat a more pervasive threat posed by cellphone usage, is clear evidence that there has been a failure by othersto effectively curtail cellular device usage within defined controlzones, while still permitting access to emergency services.

Further evidence, that there has been a failure of others to solve theproblem of cell phone usage in certain areas, includes recent incidentsof jurors using cell phones to surf the internet to look for outsideevidence on a case. A Mar. 17, 2009 New York Times article, titled “AsJurors Turn to Web, Mistrials Are Popping Up”, quoted the president ofthe American Society of Trial Consultants as stating “It's reallyimpossible to control it.”

Not any more.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference isnow made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system for restricting operationof wireless devices.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate prior art systems for restricting operation ofwireless devices.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of a system for restrictingoperation of wireless devices.

FIG. 5 illustrates wireless devices showing indications of restrictedoperation.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of a system for restrictingoperation of wireless devices.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of a system for restrictingoperation of wireless devices.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method of restricting operation of wirelessdevices.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method associated with restriction of wirelessdevice operation.

FIG. 10 illustrates another method associated with restriction ofwireless device operation.

FIG. 11 illustrates another method associated with restriction ofwireless device operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system 100 for restrictingoperation of wireless devices, and includes an embodiment of a Cilense™system. However, the prior art systems, illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3,will be described first, in order to assist in understanding the noveltyof the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art jamming device 201, which transmits highpower radio waves to create an interference zone 202, intended toprevent usage of a wireless device 203, shown as a cellular phone. Otherwireless devices could also be affected. Base station tower 204 would bethe serving base station, if not for the operation of jammer 201. Oneprinciple of operation is that the radio signal 205 from jammer 201overpowers the radio signal 206 from tower 204, preventing device 203from properly processing any communications from tower 204.Alternatively, or additionally, jammer 201 could interfere with tower204 receiving communications from device 203. Only one direction of thecommunication path between device 203 and tower 204 needs to beinterrupted, in order to prevent usage of most cellular devices.

FIG. 3 illustrates a prior art decoy system 301, which tricks wirelessdevice 303, shown as a cellular phone, into registering with a decoybase station node 308, thereby dropping communication with the properserving base station tower 304. Decoy base station node 308 will notaccept calls initiated by a user of device 303, and once device 303 hasdropped registration with tower 304, any ongoing calls will be droppedand incoming calls from the operator of tower 304 will not connect.

The principle of operation is that within zone 302, the radio signal 305from decoy base station transmitter 307 is stronger than the radiosignal 306 from proper serving base station tower 304. Since oldermodels of cell phones typically attempt to register with the strongestserving cell tower, this system relies on that programmed-in behavior tocause the cell phone to swap to decoy system 301, comprising decoy basestation node 308 and decoy base station transmitter 307. Presumably,decoy base station node 308 has processing capability necessary to trickdevice 303 into completing a hand-off from proper serving base stationtower 304 to decoy system 301.

Other systems use GPS signals, received by a cell phone, to determinewhether a person is in a moving vehicle, and if so, to prevent the useof the cell phone. Still other systems rely on local transmitters tosend a signal, which is received by the cell phone, to instruct the cellphone to restrict functionality.

All of these systems suffer from severe drawbacks. Jammers are illegal,and can present significant safety problems, because they prevent evencritical, legitimate emergency calls, such as calls to 911 in the US.Jammers can also create interference that prevents operation of evendevices that should not have their usage restricted. It is difficult totailor the size and shape of a restriction zone controlled by a jammersolution. Further, multipath and shadowing effects can defeat a jammer,even sometimes within the intended restriction zone.

The decoy system is effectively impractical for many situations in needof a restriction zone. Transmitting on cellular telephone frequenciestypically requires a government-issued license, and such activity isheavily regulated. Due to radio frequency interference issues, licensesmay not be available for potential customers of a decoy solution. Decoysolutions also suffer from the same zone boundary definition problems asjammer solutions, as well as risks that multipath and shadowing effectswill disable the decoy's ability to present a luring target for a devicewithin the intended restriction zone. Users of both jammer and decoysolutions are likely to be inundated with complaints by their local areaneighbors, as unwanted transmitted energy, from the jammer or decoy,spills out of the area that is under the ownership or control of theperson or entity, who is entitled to create a restriction zone on theirown property.

Further, decoy systems operate on an assumption that may not be valid infuture generations of cellular devices. A possible change in theoperation of cellular devices is that base station hand-off may not bebased on which of multiple, nearby base stations provides the strongestsignal, but rather, which one can provide the highest data rate orlowest bit error rate. This additional hand-off criterion requiressignificant additional complexity for a decoy system because, for adecoy system to function with such newer phones, the decoy will need tospoof replies to network communication parameter inquiries from the cellphone, with better answers than the legitimate serving base station.Otherwise, there may be no hand-off, even if the decoy provides astronger signal.

Systems using GPS signals are subject to easy over-ride by a cell phoneuser, simply by disabling the GPS receiver. Also, at times when the cellphone's GPS receiver is enabled, but not tracking GPS satellites wellenough to obtain a position or speed measurement, a GPS-based systemsimply will not work. Systems which rely on local transmitters to send arestricted-use signal to a cell phone, for example using ultrasonicwaves or Bluetooth, are subject to over-ride if the cell phone usermakes any modifications to the cell phone that interferes with thereception or processing of a restricted-use signal.

Returning now to FIG. 1, system 100 will be described. In contrast withthe shortcomings of the described prior art, the inventive systemdescribed herein (a) does not cause radio interference for neighbors;(b) provides for an easily-tailored restriction zone—even a zone thatcan move at appreciable speeds, for example within an airplane passengercabin; (c) does not rely on reception and processing by the wirelessdevice of potentially unavailable signals, for example GPS signals; and(d) is not subject to such easy defeats, as described above.

Embodiments of the disclosed system for restricting operation ofwireless devices, for example cell phones, comprise a controller and aplurality of sensors, for example three or more. Embodiments of thesystem can therefore restrict device usage, even while permittingemergency phone calls, for example 911 calls in the US and otheremergency telephone numbers in other locations. The system operatesremotely from a cellular base station site, and so may remain undercontrol of an entity that is not a cellular network operator and doesnot have access to cellular base station site equipment.

The sensors receive transmissions from wireless devices, and use datawithin the transmissions to identify particular devices, for exampledevice identification or registration data, which the device istransmitting to a base station. The transmissions can also be used todetermining whether an identified device is within a restricted zone.One disclosed method is triangulation, using time of arrival oftransmissions at the sensors, although other methods are disclosed, suchas using transmission time slot information from time domainmultiplexing systems, to estimate the range of a device from a sensor.For triangulating systems, sensor-to-controller communication delays areaccounted for, to enable more accurate position calculation of thedevice. Direction of arrival may be used in some systems, byincorporating directional antennas in one or more sensors.

If a wireless device is within the restriction zone, the controllersends device identification, and possibly a customized restrictionrequest, to a remote node, for example a control node of a cell phonenetwork operator. The cell phone network operator then uses its networkresources to implement the requested restrictions. This reduces thechance that user modification of the wireless device can defeat theoperation of the system to restrict device usage.

In some embodiments, communication between the controller and the remotenode is secure, possibly encrypted, to minimize malicious interference,for example from hackers who would attempt to disable the cell phone ofsomeone who is not in a restriction zone, or prevent disabling of adevice that is within a restriction zone. In some embodiments, awireless control can define vertices of the zone, exempt certain devicesfrom restrictions or customize restrictions, and even assist withcalibrating sensor positions during system setup.

System 100 comprises a controller 101 and three sensors, 102 a-102 c,each of which includes a radio receiver capable of intercepting signalsfrom cellular devices 140, 141, and 142. Additional sensors may be used.Each sensor should have a way to uniquely identify itself to controller101, such as by using a sensor-specific communication channel, orproviding some type of encoding on data sent to controller 101. In theillustrated embodiment, sensors 102 a and 102 c are illustrated as beingcoupled to controller 101 with lines. The coupling between sensors 102a-102 c may be wired or wireless, including radio and infrared datalinks. Sensor 102 b is illustrated as attached to controller 101. Insome embodiments, a sensor may be attached physically to a controller,for ease of transportation and setup, although this is not required.

Controller has two defined restriction zones, zone 150 and zone 151,which is separate from zone 150. This is possible because, in theillustrated embodiment, controller 101 can enforce multiple,arbitrarily-shaped restriction zones. The restriction zones are definedwithin the memory of controller 101. When the position of a wirelessdevice is calculated, controller 101 determines whether that wirelessdevice is inside or outside of a restriction zone. As illustrated,wireless devices 140 and 141 are within zone 150, while wireless device142 is outside of both zones 150 and 151, even though device 142 iswithin a triangle defined by the positions of sensors 102 a-102 c. Itshould be noted that, since even positions can be determined forwireless devices that are outside of a triangle defined by the positionsof sensors 102 a-102 c, zone 150 extends past sensor 102 a.

Simple triangulation schemes could be used, which have lowercomputational requirements, such as systems that define a restrictionzone such that the sensors comprise the vertices of the restrictionzone. A nearly arbitrarily-shaped zone can be created with such asystem, by using a plurality of sensors, such that each combination ofthree sensors forms a sub-zone. Thus, a rectangular exclusion zone couldbe formed using four sensors, A, B, C, D, with A, B, C forming thevertices of one triangular sub-zone, and B, C, D forming the vertices ofa second, adjacent triangular sub-zone.

Because devices 140 and 141 are inside zone 150, controller 101 willidentify them, using their transmissions to base station towers 121 and134, which are intercepted by one or more of sensors 102 a-102 c.Controller may also obtain identification information for device 142,because it is in range of at least one of sensors 102 a-102 c. Sincecell phones identify themselves when attempting to register with a basestation, or initiate a communication session, and typically radiate inmultiple directions, controller 101 can listen to the attemptedregistration or communication date traffic, and identify the devicesusing information available to base station towers 121 and 122. Theidentification information for at least devices 140 and 141 will becommunicated to the cellular network operators, so that the cellularnetwork operators can restrict communication between their base stationand any devices that are using that operator's network.

These restrictions may include blocking voice calls, while allowingemergency calls, blocking outgoing text (SMS) messages, blockingincoming text messages, and blocking other data transactions, such asincoming and outgoing non-voice communication. Additional restrictionscould be blocking voice calls, either incoming or outgoing, unless theyare on a list of pre-approved numbers. Other restrictions could be thatcalls are blocked unless an urgent call fee is paid to allow the urgentcall through. This enables urgent calls in some restriction zones, butprovides an incentive for the users to minimize their time and duration.The urgent call fee may be per call, with an optional per-minuteadditional charge. This potential revenue stream can serve as anincentive for cellular phone network operators to comply with a thirdparty request to block a call to a customer. Some restrictions may bethat a predefined total talk time is permitted, or a pre-approved numberof calls and texts may be permitted. In some embodiments,non-communication functionality may be restricted, for example, in darkareas, having a brightly illuminated screen may be a distraction.

Other restrictions could be that phones are set to vibrate mode,automatically, just in case the owners forget to do it themselves, butcalls are still permitted though. Then considerate people, aware that acall is coming in, can move to a more secluded area to take the call.However, non-communication functionality restriction may require thatthe wireless device receive and comply with an instruction, from eitherthe cellular operator network or controller 101, to restrict thefunctionality.

The restrictions are possible to implement in cellular networkequipment, because the cellular networks handle the communicationtraffic received at a base station tower from a cellular device. Typicalcellular networks already have the ability to block traffic from aparticular cellular device upon, the device owner's account beingsuspended for non-payment of a bill. Yet, even for such an accountsuspension emergency calls, for example calls to 911 in the US, arestill supported. Upon receiving a request from controller 101, acellular network operator can perform actions somewhat similar to thosetaken for a delinquent account, but on a considerably shorter termbasis.

Controller 101 has security tokens, for example encryption keys 103 and104, which may comprise keys for symmetric encryption, asymmetricencryption, or both. This is because, in the illustrated embodiment,controller 101 is connected to a cellular network operator control node120 and a cellular network operator control node 130 through a publiccomputer network 110. Nodes 120 and 130 have counterpart keys 123 and134, respectively. Public computer network 110 may be the internet,which is filled with malicious threats. For example, hacker computer 111is also connected to computer network 110. If a more private connectionwas available, for example a dedicated connection between controller 101and node 120 or node 130, it might be a desirable solution, based onsecurity requirements. This is because hacker computer 111 could be usedto undermine the operation of controller 101, for example by sendingmodified usage restriction requests for a particular wireless device toone of nodes 120 and 130, or by spoofing one of nodes 120 and 130, sothat controller 101 sends restriction requests and device identityinformation to hacker computer 111, instead of nodes 120 and 130.Without proper safeguards, an external hacker could either preventsystem 100 from functioning, or maliciously cause a wireless device toendure restricted operation, even if it is outside all restrictionzones. Further, controller 101 may include a decoy ad-hoc network node,so that if device 140 attempted to set up a self-assembling network withdevice 142, to leverage the connectivity of device 142, this attemptwould be frustrated. Controller 101 could also send out instructions todevices 140-142, and any other devices within range, to disableself-assembling or any other ad-hoc network capability, in order toisolate device 140. However, if controller 101 continues itsself-assembling network attempts, it can identify any of devices 140-142that are not complying with the network disabling, and then request thatnodes 120 and 130 restrict operation of the non-compliant devices.

Node 120 is connected to serving base station tower 121 and distant basestation tower 122 through a cellular network infrastructure. Servingbase station tower 121 is the base station that serves wireless devicesin the area of zones 150 and 151, whereas tower 122 is a on the samenetwork, but likely too far away to provide service in that area. Tower122 could be a metacell though, that provides fill-in coverage for areasshadowed from tower 121, and thus could cover portions of zones 150 and151. Node 130 is similarly connected to serving base station tower 130.Multiple cellular operator nodes and serving base station towers areillustrated, because different cellular network operators often usedifferent towers and different control nodes to serve overlappinggeographical areas. Thus, node 120 is owned and operated by one cellularcarrier, and node 130 is owned and operated by another.

If controller 101 cannot determine which carrier is associated with aparticular one of devices 140 and 141, identifying information for bothdevices 140 and 141 can be sent to both nodes 120 and 130. Thecomputational equipment at each of nodes 120 and 130 can then identifywhether device 140 or 141 is a subscriber device being served by thatnetwork and, if so, take the requested blocking actions. Otherwise, ifnodes 120 and 120 do not recognize one of devices 140 and 141, therequest for that device can be ignored.

In order to provide the service of blocking data traffic for asubscriber, upon the request of a third party, the cellular networkoperators must have both some motivation to comply, as well as somedegree of certainty that the request is coming from a valid source. Forplaces such as prisons, courthouses, streets within school zones, otherareas where cell phone usage can impact public safety, and eventemporary locations with visiting dignitaries, operator compliance maybecome a legislated requirement. For non-legislated blocking, the feearrangement for urgent calls, described above, may provide somemotivation. Even with a government-mandated compliance policy though,the network operator will still request reasonable assurance that therequest for restricted operation of a device is coming from anauthorized source.

One option for ensuring authorization is that, when controller 101 movesinto a new area, it registers with all of the operators who areoperating towers in the area. Network operators then have a database ofthe operational systems, such as controller 101, which are associatedwith towers in close proximity. Part of this process may include theexchange or distribution of encryption keys or other security tokens, sothat the controller and the network control nodes may engage in achallenge-response process when setting up a channel to communicaterestriction requests. There may also be responses from the networknodes, acknowledging the requests and indicating compliance or refusalto comply. If the messages and responses are encrypted, then encryptionprovides not only security from eavesdropping by a hacker, but properdecryption indicates authenticity of the claimed sender. Public keyencryption can be used, so that each a tower (such as 121, 122 and 131)can digitally sign its recent transmitted security code, and controller101 can digitally sign its request. This provides 2-way authenticationbetween controller 101 and one of the nearby network operators.

Other options include that the towers, such as 121, 122 and 131, send asecurity code that changes rapidly, and information from this securitycode must be included with a restriction request as a time-changingsecurity authentication credential, so that only systems having areception capability within the vicinity of a serving tower can send avalid request for device operation restriction. Using this option,controller 101 may need to identify the base stations attached to towers121, 122, and 131, or at least those providing signal strengthsufficient to serve cellular devices within at least a portion of zones150 and 151. Network operators can reduce their vulnerability to replayattacks by requiring that a recent security code, sent out from one ofits towers, be used in construction of the restriction request. This caninclude using a hash value of a transmitted security code as anencryption key for at least a portion of data sent by controller 101,and other authentication schemes. A replay attack could occur if hackercomputer 111 intercepts a message from controller 101 to node 120,stores it, and then transmits it to node 120 at a later time. The resultwould be that a device could have restricted operation, even if it movedoutside zone 150. Having time-varying security codes, along with acellular network operator verifying that a device had been recentlyregistered to a base station in proximity of controller 101, can reducethe likelihood that malicious attempts to interfere with the properoperation of system 100 will be successful. Thus, a network operator mayverify that a request from controller 101 include recent securityinformation transmitted from a network tower operated by the networkoperator, along with security information identifying controller 101,prior to complying with any request. Since the network operator knowsthe location of each of its towers, if a first request associated with afirst tower came in from a device purporting to be controller 101, andthen another request associated with a second tower, that was farremoved from the first tower, arrived immediately afterward, the networkoperator might suspect the presence of a hacker attempting tomaliciously disable cellular devices and not comply with the request.However, since a legitimate controller might be mobile, such as withinan airplane, boat, train or bus, some means is needed to ensure that acontroller can be registered with the network operator to be within thevicinity of different towers at different times. For mobile versions ofcontroller 101, controller 101 would need to register with networksautomatically under circumstances similar to a cellular device towerhand-off, except controller 101 would register with multiple carriersand possibly multiple towers of the same carrier, simultaneously.

Other security considerations include controller 101 informing the usersof devices 140 and 141 whether they are restricted, and possibly alsothe user of device 142 that it may be restricted if device 142 entersnearby zone 150. Part of this communication could include controller 101identifying itself to the affected devices 140-142, for example, bycommunicating an identification code, associated with controller 101.

In the illustrated embodiment, encryption keys 103 and 104, installed incontroller 101, can be used to communicate securely with nodes 120 and130. Key 103 is a security counterpart to key 123, so that using keys103 and 123, controller 101 and node 120 can communicate securely.Similarly, key 104 is a security counterpart to key 134, so thatcontroller 101 and node 130 can communicate securely. If public keyencryption is used, controller 101 could encrypt messages for both nodes120 and 130 with the same private, asymmetric key. This providesauthentication, but maybe not privacy, because anyone having a copy ofthe public, asymmetric key could decrypt the messages and learn whichwireless devices are within zones 150 and 151. It may be desirable torestrict public access to this information. However, if the publicasymmetric key is only “public” to nodes 120 and 130, then an asymmetrickey system could work.

Embodiments of a controller, such as controller 101, may send requestsin various ways. Controller 101 may simply forward deviceidentification, which nodes 120 and 130 will interpret as a request toenforce pre-arranged default usage restrictions. Another option may beto identifying specific restrictions, such as permitting somefunctionality out of SMS, email, voice, and other data exchanges, whileblocking others. Multiple options also exist for relaxing, or liftingusage restrictions, when a device moves from inside zone 150 to theoutside. Nodes 120 and 130 may operate in such a manner that therestriction requests time out after a predetermined period, for examplea minute, and if another restriction request has not been received fromcontroller 101 by that time, the restrictions are lifted. In thissituation, controller 101 repeatedly communicates identifyinginformation for devices 140 and 141, within zone 150, to one or both ofremote nodes 120 and 130, for however long both of devices 140 and 141remains within zone 150. Upon a device moving outside of zone 150,controller 101 merely fails to update the identification. The time-outwill expire, and the device that moved outside of zone 150 will resumeoperation upon the expiration of the time-out period. Alternatively,controller 101 could affirmatively inform one or both of nodes 120 and130 that a device has moved outside a zone, so that service to thatdevice can resume more rapidly.

System 100 also comprises a wireless user control 105, although in someembodiments, a user control may have a wired connection to controller101. User control may be used for a plurality of functions, including(a) calibrating the locations of sensors 102 a-102 c during system setupor maintenance, (b) defining vertices of restriction zones 150 and 151,and (c) identifying a particular wireless device, such as device 141,for exemption or modified restriction rules. For example, if restrictionzone 150 encompasses a prison, device 141 may belong to someone who isauthorized to carry a cellular device into the area, for example a guardor an attorney visiting a client. For some embodiments, the differentfunctions may be accomplished with different controls. In someembodiments, controller 101 will support multiple user controls 105. Forsecurity, controller 101 and user control 105 may encryptedcommunications between them. Additional security arrangements and datacompression, applicable to both wireless and wired networkcommunications, should also be considered for improving system 100.

User control 105 includes a user input control 106, which may include aplurality of buttons, a touch screen, a trackball, or any suitable inputsystem for receiving input from a user. Input functions may includetriggering a calibration function within the controller, to identify thelocation of a sensor. For example, during setup and initial calibration,a user may position sensors 102 a-103 c, then visit each of the sensorsin turn, actuating user input 106, when the user control 105 is in closeproximity with a sensor, to transmit a calibration signal from usercontrol 105 to sensors 102 a-102 c. If user control 105 is adjacent tosensor 102 a, then sensor 102 a will be the first to receive anycalibration signals transmitted by user control 105, possibly throughwireless communication system 107. Communication system 107 may also beused to communicate with controller 101.

By measuring the time delay to the other sensors, 102 b and 102 c, therelative distance between sensors 102 a and 102 b, as well as therelative distance between sensors 102 a and 102 c may be determined. Bythen moving user control 105 to be adjacent to sensor 102 c, andrepeating the calibration signal transmission process, the relativedistance between sensor 102 c and 102 b may further be determined.

Calibrating the sensor positions in this manner may result in controller101 calculating different time of arrival information from sensor 102 ato sensor 102 c than the reverse path, from sensor 102 c to sensor 102a. This is because the communication delays between controller 101 andeach of sensors 102 a and 102 c may be different. There are a number ofoptions for compensating for this delay. One is to use only relativecommunication delay differences. Another is to use precise knowledge ofcommunication delay between one of the sensors 102 a-102 c andcontroller 101, to calculate exact delay for each of the sensors 102a-102 c. This second option is easier if predetermined cable lengths,with known propagation delay times, are used, and if the sensors' andcontroller's response times are also known. If sensor 102 b is attachedto controller 101 and connected with a hard-wired communicationinterface, then moving user control 105 adjacent to sensor 102 b andrepeating the calibration transmission process can provide the finaldata needed for the position calibrations. If none of the absolutecommunication delays are known, then relative delay information must beused.

For calibration at sensor 102 a, the absolute time delays are Ta=Ca;Tb=Cb+Pab; Tc=Cc+Pac, where Ta is the time delay between sensor 102 areceiving a calibration signal from user control 105, and controller 101receiving it, Ca is the communication delay between sensor 102 a andcontroller 101; Tb is the time delay between sensor 102 b receiving acalibration signal, and controller 101 receiving it, Cb is thecommunication delay between sensor 102 b and controller 101, Pab is thepropagation delay between sensor 102 a and sensor 102 b; and Tc is thetime delay between sensor 102 c receiving a calibration signal, andcontroller 101 receiving it, Cc is the communication delay betweensensor 102 c and controller 101, Pac is the propagation delay betweensensor 102 a and sensor 102 c. The propagation delay between usercontrol 105 and sensor 102 a is assumed to be zero, for simplification.Propagation delay is the physical distance, multiplied by the speed oflight, which is a constant value. Thus, distance measurements may beobtained easily, once propagation times are calculated.

The relative delays, calculated by controller 101 are Tab=Cb+Pab−Ca andTac=Cc+Pac−Ca, where Tab is the time between the calibration signalarriving from sensor 102 a and sensor 102 b, and Tac is the time betweenthe calibration signal arriving from sensor 102 a and sensor 102 c. Ifthe communication delay from sensor 102 a is long enough, either or bothof Tab and Tac may be negative.

For calibration at sensor 102 b, the absolute time delays are Ta=Ca+Pba;Tb=Cb; Tc=Cc+Pbc, and the relative time delays are Tba=Ca+Pba−Cb andTbc=Cc+Pbc−Cb. For purposes of calibration, Pba can be assumed to beidentical to Pab. Thus, Tab, the delay between sensors 102 a and 102 bwhen calibrating at sensor 102 a, will differ from Tba, the delaybetween sensors 102 a and 102 b when calibrating at sensor 102 b, bytwice the difference between Ca and Cb.

For calibration at sensor 102 c, the absolute time delays are Ta=Ca+Pca;Tb=Cb+Pcb; Tc=Cc, and the relative time delays are Tca=Ca+Pca−Cc andTcb=Cb+Pcb−Cc. For purposes of calibration, Pca can be assumed to beidentical to Pac, and Pcb can be assumed to be identical to Pbc. Thus,Tac, the delay between sensors 102 a and 102 c when calibrating atsensor 102 a, will differ from Tca, the delay between sensors 102 a and102 c when calibrating at sensor 102 c, by twice the difference betweenCa and Cc. Similarly, Tbc, the delay between sensors 102 b and 102 cwhen calibrating at sensor 102 b, will differ from Tcb, the delaybetween sensors 102 b and 102 c when calibrating at sensor 102 c, bytwice the difference between Cb and Cc.

If at least one of Ca, Cb, and Cc is known, then the others may becalculated using measured Tab, Tba, Tac, Tca, Tbc, and Tcb. Forsimplification, assume sensor 102 b is attached to controller 101 by ashort enough cable that Cb can be approximated as zero. Ca is then justhalf of the difference between Tab and Tba, and Cc is half of thedifference between Tbc and Tcb. In this manner, baseline calculationscan be made that are needed for later triangulation calculations.

As an alternative calibration scheme, one or more of sensors 102 a-102 ccould have a calibration transmitter, which is triggered by controller101. This could be useful if frequent position calibration is expected,or the sensors are in positions that are difficult to reach, and it isinconvenient to send someone to visit each sensor, whenever acalibration is needed. For this scheme, which is made easier if sensor102 b is co-located with controller 101, so that Cb is small enough,controller 101 sends out instructions to each of sensors 102 a and 102c, I turn, instructing them to transmit a calibration signal. The delayscan be calculated similarly as described for calibration with usercontrol 105.

The next process in the setup of the illustrated embodiment is definingrestriction zones. Defining zone 150 can be accomplished by moving usercontrol 105 to each of the vertices of the desired restriction zone, andactuating user input 106. One method to define the zone would includecircumnavigating the desired zone in a single direction, and actuatinguser input 106 at each desired vertex. The positions of user control 105at each vertex can be calculated by triangulation, or whatever othermethod is employed for position calculation by system 100. Then, thefinal vertex can be connected, within a zone boundary database incontroller 101, to the first vertex. The process can be repeated, ifadditional restriction zones, for example second restriction zone 151,are desired.

After system 100 is set up and operating, it may be desirable to makeexceptions to the typical set of restrictions. For example, device 141may be treated by system 100 differently than device 140. To enablethis, user control 105 has a short range, directional wireless sensor108, which enables identification of a wireless device in closeproximity, and on the proper side of, user control 105. Actuating userinput 106, when pointing user control at nearby device 141, then flagsto controller 101 that device 141 is to be treated differently thandevice 140. The restrictions may be more severe, more lenient, or eventotally waived. Thus, user control 105 and controller 101 are jointlyconfigured to identify a device for restriction exceptions when usercontrol 105 is in close proximity with the device. This need not beafter controller 101 has already requested restricted device operation.It could occur prior to a device entering a restriction zone, so that,when the device enters the zone, the initial restriction request isalready modified or won't be sent.

One example use would be in a dark theater, in which the restrictionsare not to block calls, but rather that all phones are set on vibratemode. This allows people within the theater to be aware that someone iscalling, and to step outside to take the call. However, one person maynot be so considerate, and may be speaking loudly during a call. If atheater worker requests that the person be quiet, and that person doesnot comply, then the theater worker can use user control 105 to instructcontroller 101 to request odes 120 and 130 to terminate the call. Asimilar arrangement can be used for people having excessive text messageconversations in a dark theater, while not making reasonableaccommodations to limit the bright light shining in other people's eyes.A theater worker can then easily disable the text message ability of thephone, until the owner steps outside the restriction zone, andcontroller 101 releases the cell phone from the restrictions. Enhancedor relaxed restrictions for a particular device may be permanent, forthe duration that the device is within the restriction zone, ortemporary, so that enhanced or limited privileges expire before thedevice leaves the restriction zone.

Other methods for determining the positions of devices 140-142 exist,which could be used if all three of sensors 102 a-102 c are not able tosimultaneously pick up transmissions. If devices 140-142 operate usingtime domain duplexing (TDD) or time domain multiple access (TDMA), theywill have an assigned transmission time slot, controlled by the servingbase station's clock. Using the assumption that the device will begin totransmit at its scheduled time, and if controller is synchronized to thesame clock, a range from the device to a sensor can be estimated. Thisgives a radial distance from one sensor. If two sensors can interceptthe transmission, then radial distance measures from two sensors can becompared, and may allow determination of whether a device is within zone150.

Multipath effects make using direction of arrival an unreliable solesource of information. This is because a bounce path, from a differentdirection than the true direction from a sensor to a wireless device,could provide a stronger signal. However, even in this situation, thetrue path will provide the earliest signal. Making direction of arrivalmeasurements requires directional sensors, which can be provided with anantenna array arrangement on one of the sensors. If each of themultipath signals received by a sensor is compared against the others,not only for power levels, but also for time of arrival, then directionof arrival information can be used to assist with location. For example,consider the possibility that sensor 102 c does not receive atransmission from device 141. Attempting to calculate the position ofdevice 141, using merely time of arrival information for signalsreceived by sensors 102 a and 102 b, will result in two possiblelocations for device 141. One position will be in its illustratedposition, within zone 150. The other position will be outside zone 150,slightly above and to the left of the illustrated position of tower 121.Using direction of arrival information, if sensor 120 b is able toidentify that device 141 is located counter-clockwise from a referenceline between sensors 120 a and 120 b, or sensor 120 a is able toidentify that device 141 is located clockwise from that same referenceline, then the position of device 141 can be fixed as within zone 150and not nearby tower 121. The law of cosines is a well-known equationthat can be used using a combination of range and angle information, anda related derivation can also be applied in some situations using onlyrange information.

Ascertaining identifying information of a device, or determining anidentity of a device, by controller 101 may not involve determining aunique number or address associated with a device. Identificationinformation for a wireless device may be data uniquely associated with awireless device, such as an assigned phone number or an address, but mayalso be other identifying information, such as general information thatis specific enough to enable a remote processor to ascertain theidentity of the device. Examples include a time of a recenttransmission, a copy of recently transmitted data, transmission channelinformation, and physical location relative to nearby towers. Thus, ifcontroller 101 can communicate that device 141 recently transmitted acertain data stream, even if the data stream were encrypted andcontroller 101 could not interpret the contents, and that device 141 waslikely visible to a certain sector of tower 131, then controller 101 hasprovided enough information that processor 135 at node 130 couldpotentially identify that controller 101 was referencing device 141—ifnode 130 is within the network that device 141 is using. If device 141was using the other network, node 120, then node 120 would be able toidentify device 141. Processor 135 may therefore need to maintain ahistory of recently received data from served wireless devices, and haveother logic necessary to determine a specific device from a descriptionof its behavior, which is received from controller 101. In somesituations, controller 101 may be able to ascertain unique dataassociated with a wireless device, for example, possibly if a devicewere to attempt to register with a base station, if nodes 120 and 130shared information with controller 101 about devices registered withtowers 121 and 131, to enable exact device identification, or ifcontroller 101 were connected to a decoy node, such as node 301,illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of a system 400 for restrictingoperation of wireless devices, for example in an airplane passengercompartment 410. This illustrated system 400 can help enforce an airlinepolicy that passengers turn off phones when airplane is ready to takeoff. As an added bonus, the restriction zone 450 actually moves alongwith airplane 410, automatically. In airplane passenger compartment 410,system 400 comprises controller 401 and remote, external sensors 102 aand 102 c, which can all operate within a moving vehicle. A third sensoris integrated within controller 401. Controller 401 uses its antenna towirelessly communicate with nodes 120 and 130 though network 110, whileoperating within a moving vehicle, such as within airplane passengercompartment 410, while the airplane is moving away from a passengerboarding gate.

To highlight the need for multiple sensors to solve positions using timeof arrival information alone, as inputs to triangulation calculations,consider the possibility that controller 401 has not activated itsinternal sensor. As before, the user of device 140 is within arestriction zone, but this time it is zone 450, because the user ofdevice 140 is a passenger. The user of device 142 is outside the plane,possibly waiting to board. Assume, for this explanation, thattransmissions from device 142 can enter airplane passenger compartment410, possibly through the windows. In this situation, when the airplaneflight crew wishes to restrict cell phone operation, device 140 shouldbe restricted, but device 142 should not be.

As illustrated, the distance 402 between device 142 and sensor 102 a isthe same as the distance 403 between device 142 and sensor 102 c.Similarly, the distance 405 between device 140 and sensor 102 a is thesame as the distance 406 between device 140 and sensor 102 c. Thus, thetime of arrival differences between sensors 102 a and 102 c areidentical for both devices 140 and 142. Controller 401 will thencalculate the positions of both devices 140 and 142 to be on the sameset of possible points. These points will form a plane, exactly half waybetween sensors 102 a and 102 c, and perpendicular to a straight lineconnecting sensors 102 a and 102 c. As viewed from above, according tothe perspective of the illustration, this plane becomes straight line408. Thus, the position of a wireless device at any point on line 408will be indistinguishable from the position of any other device at adifferent point that same line 408. Line 408, in two dimensions, is aline of ambiguity. Considered in three dimensions, it is a plane ofambiguity.

Now, adding the time of arrival measurement for a sensor withincontroller 401, distance differences become apparent. The distance 404between device 142 and controller 401 is shorter than distance 403, butnot by much. In contrast, the distance 407 between device 140 andcontroller 401 is considerably shorter than distance 406. Thus, usingthe difference between distances 407 and 406, controller 401 candetermine that device 140 is inside zone 450, while using the differencebetween distances 404 and 403, controller 401 can determine that device142 is outside zone 450. Controller 401 can just use a threshold asdecision criteria, based on the maximum distance difference for ahypothetical device exactly on the boundary of zone 450.

It should be noted that, even with this third measurement, if only timeof arrival information is available, controller 401 cannot necessarilydetermine which side of airplane passenger compartment 410 that device142 may actually be. If controller 401 is positioned poorly, forexample, it is positioned on a straight line between sensors 102 a and102 c, the ambiguity plane for the position of device 142 will become anambiguity circle on the former ambiguity plane, centered on a lineconnecting sensors 102 a and 102 c, with a radius determined by thedifference between distances 403 and 404. This ambiguity circle willsurround airplane passenger compartment 410, but if airplane passengercompartment 410 is the nearly-circular cross-sectioned tube, typical forairplanes, then controller 401 will properly determine that device 142is outside zone 450. That is, even if controller 401 cannot determinewhether device 140 is to the left, right, above, or below airplanepassenger compartment 410.

Fortunately, for many situations, controller 401 can operate with theassumption that all wireless devices are at approximately the sameheight. This assumption is valid enough in open air areas, such as wide,flat, level fields where most people are standing on the ground at thesame height, and vertical variations are minimal in comparison tohorizontal positional variations. In tall, multi-level buildings though,vertical displacement can be an issue. Systems operating in thoseenvironments will require more sensors to solve vertical displacementambiguities. In order to solve vertical displacement ambiguities, theremust be some vertical diversity in the sensors. Merely adding moresensors in the same plane will not solve ambiguities as to whether adevice, not in the same plane as all of the sensors, is above or belowthat plane.

FIG. 5 illustrates wireless devices 140 and 141 showing indications ofrestricted operation. Wireless device 140 is displaying a message 500,indicating that emergency callas are allowed, but other phone calls andtext messages are not allowed. The message could have been triggered bycommunication from controller 101 or one of nodes 120 and 130. Otherinformation could be displayed, including whether vibrate mode has beenactivated, or whether email and internet access are affected, andwhether non-communication functionality has been restricted. Wirelessdevice 141 displays a message 501, indicating different restrictionsthan are imposed on device 140. This may be because device 140 had beenpre-registered with controller 101, for lesser restrictions than device140, prior to entering zone 150, or because the exception process,described above in the discussion of FIG. 1, had been performed afterdevice 141 had already been restricted similarly to device 140.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of a system 600 for restrictingoperation of wireless devices. System 600 comprises a computingapparatus 601, which may be an embodiment of controller 101, describedin the discussion of FIG. 1. Computing apparatus 601 comprises acommunication module 602, which communicatively couples apparatus 601 toa media drive 603 for computer readable media, illustrating an opticaldisk, as well as network 110 and sensors 102 a-102 d. Other types ofcomputer readable media, such as non-volatile memory devices andmagnetic media may also be used. Communication module 602 is illustratedas having an antenna for wireless communication with user control 105.Communication module 602 may be a single module or may comprise manydifferent modules, and may comprise hardware, such as connectors,firmware, and even software, such as internet connectivity software.

Apparatus 601 also comprises at least one central processing unit (CPU)604, although multiple processors may be used, and a memory 605. Memory605 may comprise volatile and non-volatile memory, and even othercomputer readable media. In the illustrated embodiment, memory 605 holdspart of communication module 602. Memory 605 holds other modules anddata sets used in the operations described above, although many of theillustrated modules may also have hardware or firmware components. Theseinclude a control module 606, which can interface with other illustratedmodules, and coordinate their operations for sensor positioncalibration, zone definition, restriction request communication, deviceexception handling, position calculations, and other functions.

Operator database 607 has information relevant to communication withnodes 120 and 130 and any other cellular network operations nodes. Thismay include internet addresses of node computers and security protocols.Security module 608 has security functionality, possibly includingencryption and hash routines. It is used for securing communicationswith remote operator control nodes, for example nodes 120 and 130 and,in the illustrated embodiment, has access to keys 103 and 104. As aclarification to the differences between security module 608 and keys103 and 104, security module 608 contains algorithms, and possiblyhardware random number generators. Timing module 609 is used as a timereference, and may be used to keep a clock synchronized with a basestation clock for use in the TDD and TDMA enabled range-finding systemspreviously described. However, timing module 609 may have its owninternal clock, which is free from external synchronization with basestation clocks. Timing module can be used for both the time of arrivalcalculations, as well as the tracking time-out periods for deviceswithin a restriction zone, so that timely updates can be sent to nodes120 and 130.

Calibration and setup module 610 can be configured to operate withremote interface module 611, which handles communication with usercontrol 105, sensor position database 612, and zone boundary database613. Sensor position database 612, and zone boundary database 613 may bebased on time of arrival information only, and therefore have onlyrelative positions, such as radial distances, or may have GPScoordinates, if any of sensors 102 a-102 d or user control 105 had GPSdata and sent it to apparatus 601 during calibration and setup. Data insome embodiments of zone boundary database 613 will comprise thevertices of at least one closed polygon. Remote interface module 611also works with blocking rules database 614 and detected device database615 to handle exceptions for selected devices. For example, blockingrules database 61 could permanently store the identity of device 641, sothat the next time device 641 entered zone 150, it would go to relaxedrestrictions, rather than default restrictions. Math module 616 maycomprise standard triangulation calculation routines, which are known inthe art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,327,144 by Stilp et al. and5,890,068 by Fattouche et al. disclose triangulation schemes forlocating cellular devices.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of a system 700 for restrictingoperation of wireless devices. System 700 comprises a controller 701,which also comprises a sensor. System also comprises sensors 702-709,numbered clockwise. The restriction zone is the entire area covered bythe set of triangular sub-zones 711-717. The combination of zones 714and 715, formed by controller 701 and sensors 705, 706 and 709,illustrates how a rectangular-shaped region can be set up usingtriangles. During setup, each sensor is paired with two others, in thememory of controller 701, to form the triangular sub-zones. When atriangular sub-region is formed in this manner, the triangle will haveno reflexive angles.

During operation, when a wireless device is identified, controller 701sequentially solves an inside/outside calculation for each of thesub-zones, until one calculation returns an inside condition, or allsub-zones have been considered. If a device is within any of thesub-zones, then a usage restriction is requested. In some embodiments, acontroller, for example controller 701, may send a usage restrictionrequest directly to a wireless device rather than involving the networkoperator. For this to work though, the device must comply with therequest. Using a network operator to implement the request takescompliance by the device out of primary consideration as a defeat to thesystem's operation. Other variations can exist, if controller 701 is theonly sensor available. If controller uses the TDD and TDMA range findingmethod, described earlier, then the restriction zone can be a spherearound controller 701. Adding direction of arrival discrimination to thesensor on controller 701 enables the shape of the restriction zone to betailored, such that it extends further in range in some directions.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method 800 of restricting operation of wirelessdevices. In block 801, the sensor positions are calibrated. A method forperforming this has been described previously, and a method is alsoillustrated in FIG. 9. In block 802, the restriction zones are defined.A method for performing this has been described previously, and a methodis also illustrated in FIG. 10. In block 803, the controller registerswith cellular network operators, for example by exchanging securitytokens between controller 101 and each of nodes 120 and 130, illustratedin FIG. 1.

In the illustrated method, normal operations of the system begin inblock 804 and cycle while the system remains in operation. It should beunderstood that variations in the order of the blocks of method 800 mayoccur. Devices are identified in block 804, and their positionscalculated in block 805. For those devices within a restriction zone,the exceptions from restrictions, as well as restriction customizationsare identified in block 806. In block 807, a secure communication linkis set up between the controller 101 and at least one of node 120 andnode 130, if a secure link does not exist. The secure link may useencryption, and be, for example, a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) session.Alternatively, data could be sent over unsecured sessions, but the datashould be secured, such as by encryption. The requests are communicatedto the network operators in block 808, and may be just identificationinformation, if a default restriction type has been previously defined,or may be relaxation requests or restriction customization requests. Inblock 809, exceptions for certain devices are stored, perhaps inblocking rules database 614 of FIG. 6. A method for performing this hasbeen described previously, and a method is illustrated in FIG. 11.Therefore, a method of restricting the operation of a radiocommunication device may comprise determining an identity of a device,using a radio transmission from the device; determining whether theidentified device is within a predefined usage restriction zone, usingtime of arrival information from a plurality of sensors, for a radiotransmission from the device; and securely communicating the identity ofthe identified device to a remote node, across a public computernetwork. The method may further comprise repeatedly communicating theidentity of the identified device to the remote node, while theidentified device remains within the usage restriction zone.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method 900 of calibrating sensor positions. Inblock 901, a calibration signal is sent from the location of a sensor.This can be the sensor itself, or a user control adjacent to a sensor.In block 902, the time of arrival differences are measured. In decisionblock 903, it is determined whether enough sensor positions have beenmeasured in order to complete the calculations. For a system having fouror more sensors, or sensors with known communication delay times, theremay not be a need to send calibration signals from all of the sensors.In block 904, the data for time of arrival differences are adjusted forcommunication delays between each of the sensors and the controller. Insome systems, multiple controllers or sub-controllers can be used, withtime of arrival compensations including the transit times for routinginformation to other places, rather than directly to a singlecontroller. In block 905, distances between the sensors are determined,using the propagation delays of the calibration signals. GPS informationcan be used to establish actual position data, rather than just relativeposition data in block 906, if the information is available. The resultsof the sensor position calibration process are then stored in RXposition database 612, of FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 illustrates a method 1000 of defining a restriction zone. Inblock 1001, a calibration signal is sent from the location of a vertexof the desired restriction zone, possibly from wireless user control105. In block 1002, the time of arrival differences are measured fromthat vertex to each of the sensors, and are compensated for withcommunication delay information found earlier, in method 900. In block1003, vertex positions are determined and stored in zone boundarydatabase 613, of FIG. 6. In decision block 1004, it is determinedwhether all the vertices have been defined for the zone. If not, thenanother calibration signal is sent from the next desired vertex, asmethod 1000 returns to block 1001. When all the vertices have been set,the restriction zone is then defined as a closed polygon with verticesin the order of measurement, except that the final vertex is connectedwith the first, to close the polygon. This is accomplished in blocks1005 and 1006.

FIG. 11 illustrates a method 1100 of handling exceptions to therestrictions. In block 1101, a wireless device is identified forexceptional treatment, whether exemption from restriction, more severrestriction, or less severe restriction. This can be accomplished withuser control 105 in close proximity, and pointing at the device, asdescribed in relation to FIG. 1. In decision block 1102, it isdetermined whether the exception will be durable, that is, it willendure even after the device has left a restriction zone, so that theexceptions are automatically applied when the device next enters arestriction zone. If the exceptions are not durable, then in decisionblock 1103, it is determined whether they are temporary, and will expireafter a set period of time. If so, then a timer is set in block 1104,perhaps using timing module 609 of FIG. 6. The exception informationregarding the device identity, durability, and duration, is then storedin block 1105, and if necessary, communicated to a network node in block1106.

Network operators play a crucial role in the operation of some of thedisclosed embodiments. They make a restriction decision after receivinga request from a Cilense™ system, and may insist on verifying theauthenticity and authorization of the request. In some situations, anoperator may over-ride the requested restrictions and substitute adifferent set. The operator may then communicate back to the requesterconfirming or denying the request, or informing about a modification. Insome situations, a network operator may cooperate with restaurant adtheater owners willingly, and therefore may reserve the right to deny ormodify the restriction request. In other situations, the requester mayhave police or government authority, so the operator may have a duty tocomply.

The operator may inform the restricted device of the restriction,possibly informing the device about the ability to send or receiveurgent calls for a fee. This may be automatic, or in response to anattempted call or sending of a message, and may be displayed or sent asan audio message. Outside callers may be informed about the restrictionsby the network equipment, when attempting to call the restricted device.The device may be provided instructions by the network to enter abattery-saving mode, dim the screen, enter vibrate or silent mode,display a message on the screen of the device, or return from restrictedoperation modes, or refrain from participating in any self-assembling,peer-to-peer or ad-hoc networks, and then comply if the instructionssatisfy security screening criteria. The restriction on networkparticipation is to prevent a cellular device within a restriction zonefrom communicating through another nearby cellular device that isoutside the restriction zone, and riding on that nearby cellulardevice's network connectivity to send and receive prohibited messages,thereby thwarting the operation restrictions. Wireless devices nearby arestriction zone, but located outside, or else within the restrictionzone and exempt from the restrictions, which are also range of thead-hoc network connectivity of restricted devices, may receive andacquiesce to requests to temporarily disable self-assembling or ad-hocnetwork capability, or to deny connectivity to identified devices withinthe restriction zone. The wireless device may further display theauthority or some identifying information about the entity requestingthe restriction, and may receive this from either the entity itself orfrom the serving network. The status of the device with in a restrictionzone may be returned as part of a chaperone service, which enablessomeone to remotely ascertain the location of another person's cellphone.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been describedabove, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, thescope of the present application is not intended to be limited to theparticular embodiments described in the specification.

1. A system for restricting the operation of a radio communicationdevice, the system comprising: a controller comprising a communicationmodule; a security module; and a memory; at least three sensors,configured to be communicatively coupled to the controller and tooperate within a moving vehicle, wherein the three sensors are allremotely located from all serving cellular base station sites; and aportable wireless user control, configured to be communicatively coupledto the controller, wherein the wireless user control comprises: a radiofrequency receiver, a wireless transmitter, and at least one user inputcontrol, wherein the wireless user control and the controller arejointly configured to define at least a portion of a usage restrictionzone, by actuation of the user input control when the wireless usercontrol is at a vertex of the usage restriction zone, wherein thecontroller is further configured to: determine an identity of the deviceby using information in a radio transmission from the device, whereinthe radio transmission is received by at least one of the sensors;determine whether the identified device is within the usage restrictionzone, by using zone boundary data stored within the controller memoryand transmitted radio frequency energy from the device, wherein theradio frequency energy is received by at least two of the sensors, andwithout requiring reception and processing of any wireless signals bythe device; receive a security code from a serving cellular basestation; and communicate the identity of the identified device to aremote node, across a public computer network, by using the receivedsecurity code as an authentication credential for restricting usage ofthe identified device when the device is determined to be in thepredefined restriction zone, wherein the restricting is enforced by aserving base station.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller isfurther configured to identify a cellular base station that is capableof serving cellular devices within at least a portion of the usagerestriction zone.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller isfurther configured to securely communicate usage restrictions for theidentified device, responsive to determining that the identified deviceis within the predefined usage restriction zone.
 4. The system of claim3 wherein the usage restrictions comprise at least one selected from thelist consisting of: whether incoming voice calls are permitted, whetheroutgoing voice calls are permitted, whether incoming non-voicecommunication is permitted, whether outgoing non-voice communication ispermitted, whether non-communication functionality is to be restricted,whether emergency calls are permitted, whether pre-approved phone callsare permitted, and whether urgent calls are permitted.
 5. The system ofclaim 3 wherein the controller is further configured to securelycommunicate relaxation of usage restrictions, responsive to determiningthat the identified device is outside of the predefined usagerestriction zone.
 6. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller isfurther configured to: determine a time of arrival for a radiotransmission from the device that is received by at least two of thesensors that are operating within a moving vehicle, and compensate for acommunication delay between the controller and each of the sensors thatreceived the radio transmission.
 7. The system of claim 6 wherein thecontroller is further configured to determine whether the identifieddevice is within a predefined usage restriction zone, that is movingwithin a vehicle, by triangulating a position of the identified device,by using compensated time of arrival information from three or moresensors.
 8. The system of claim 6 wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to determine whether the identified device is within thepredefined usage restriction zone by calculating the position of theidentified device, by using compensated time of arrival information fromtwo or more of the sensors, along with an assigned transmission timeslot for the device.
 9. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller isfurther configured to determine whether the identified device is withinthe predefined usage restriction zone by calculating the position of theidentified device, by using direction of arrival information from atleast one of the sensors.
 10. The system of claim 1 wherein thecontroller is further configured to communicate an identification code,associated with the controller, to the identified device.
 11. The systemof claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to separatelyrequest suspension of cellular voice calls and suspension ofpeer-to-peer network participation.
 12. The system of claim 1 wherein atleast one of the sensors is integrated with the controller.
 13. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein at least one of the sensors is communicativelycoupled to the controller wirelessly.
 14. The system of claim 1 whereinat least one of the sensors comprises a calibration transmitter.
 15. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the wireless user control and the controllerare jointly configured to calibrate a location of at least one of thesensors, by actuating the user input control when the wireless usercontrol is in close proximity with the receiver.
 16. The system of claim1 wherein the wireless user control and the controller are jointlyconfigured to identify a device for restriction exceptions when thewireless user control is in close proximity with the device to beidentified for the restriction exception.
 17. A method of restrictingthe operation of a radio communication device, the method comprising:operating a plurality of at least three sensors within a moving vehicle;defining a usage restriction zone in a controller by actuating a userinput control of a wireless user control at a vertex of the restrictionzone and transmitting an indication of the actuation; in the controller,determining an identity of a device, by using information in a radiotransmission from the device that is received by the sensors; in thecontroller, determining whether the identified device is within theusage restriction zone, by using time of arrival information from aplurality of sensors, for a radio transmission from the device, andwithout requiring reception and processing of any wireless signals bythe device; and securely communicating the identity of the identifieddevice from the controller to a remote node, across a public computernetwork for restricting usage of the identified device when the deviceis determined to be in the predefined restriction zone, wherein therestricting is enforced by a serving base station.
 18. The method ofclaim 17 further comprising: repeatedly communicating the identity ofthe identified device to the remote node, while the identified deviceremains within the usage restriction zone.